To Honor You Call Us: Man of War, Book 1

The Terran Union is engaged in a vast interstellar war against the Krag Ruthless aliens intent on exterminating humankind. In 2315, the wily Max Robichaux is given command of the USS Cumberland, a destroyer with state-of-the-art capabilities but a combat record so bad, she's known as the "Cumberland Gap." Capt. Robichaux's first mission: to take his warship to the Free Corridor, where the Krag have secretly been buying strategic materials, and to seize or destroy any ships carrying enemy cargo.

The Oncoming Storm: Angel in the Whirlwind, Book 1

In the year 2420, war looms between the galaxy's two most powerful empires: the tyrannical Theocracy and the protectionist Commonwealth. Caught in the middle sits the occupied outpost system Cadiz, where young officer and aristocrat Katherine "Kat" Falcone finds herself prematurely promoted at the behest of her powerful father. Against her own wishes, Kat is sent to command the Commonwealth navy's newest warship, Lightning.

Starship's Mage Omnibus: Starship's Mage Series #1

In a galaxy tied together by the magic of the elite Jump Magi, Damien Montgomery is a newly graduated member of their number. With no family or connections to find a ship, he is forced into service on an interstellar freighter known to be hunted by pirates. When he takes drastic action to save the Blue Jay from their pursuers, he sets in motion a sequence of events beyond his control and attracts enemies on both sides of the law.

The Terran Privateer: The Duchy of Terra, Book 1

Earth is conquered. Sol is lost. One ship is tasked to free them. One Captain to save them all. When an alien armada destroys the United Earth Space Force and takes control of the human homeworld, newly reinstated Captain Annette Bond must take her experimental hyperspace cruiser Tornado into exile as Terra's only interstellar privateer. She has inferior technology, crude maps, and no concept of her enemy, but the seedy underbelly of galactic society welcomes her so long as she has prizes to sell and money to spend.

Vanguard: The Genesis Fleet, Book 1

Earth is no longer the center of the universe. After the invention of the faster-than-light jump drive, humanity is rapidly establishing new colonies. But the vast distances of space mean that the old order of protection and interstellar law offered by Earth has ceased to exist. When a nearby world attacks, the new colony of Glenlyon turns to Robert Geary, a young former junior fleet officer, and Mele Darcy, a onetime enlisted marine.

Ark Royal

Seventy years ago, the interstellar supercarrier Ark Royal was the pride of the Royal Navy. But now, her weapons are outdated and her solid-state armour nothing more than a burden on her colossal hull. She floats in permanent orbit near Earth, a dumping ground for the officers and crew the Royal Navy wishes to keep out of the public eye. But when a deadly alien threat appears, the modern starships built by humanity are no match for the powerful alien weapons.

The Ember War: Publisher's Pack, Books 1-2

The Ember War, book 1: The Earth is doomed. Humanity has a chance. In the near future, an alien probe arrives on Earth with a pivotal mission: to determine if humanity has what it takes to survive the impending invasion by a merciless armada. The probe discovers Marc Ibarra, a young inventor who holds the key to a daring gambit that could save a fraction of Earth's population. Humanity's only chance lies with Ibarra's ability to keep a terrible secret and engineer the planet down the narrow path to survival.

Rebel Fleet

They hunt us. They bomb our worlds for target practice. A star cluster in the constellation of Orion rotates once every thousand years. Those who rule there have an ancient tradition: When each cycle ends, they train their fleets by spilling the blood of lesser beings. The enemy fleets are coming again. In response, the Rebel Worlds gather their starships to face the terrifying threat, and this time humanity is asked to stand with them.

Terms of Enlistment: Frontlines, Book 1

The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements, where you're restricted to 2,000 calories of badly flavored soy every day. You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service. With the colony lottery a pipe dream, Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces for a shot at real food, a retirement bonus, and maybe a ticket off Earth.

Space Carrier Avalon

Avalon was the flagship of the Castle Federation in the last war, now 20 years past. The first of the deep space carriers, no other warship in the fleet holds as many honors or has recorded as many kills. No other warship in the fleet is as old. Accepting the inevitable, the Federation Space Navy has decided to refit her and send her on a tour of the frontier, showing the flag to their allies and enemies as a reminder of her glory - and then decommission her for good.

Battle Cruiser: Lost Colonies, Book 1

One starship will either save Earth or destroy her. A century ago our star erupted, destroying Earth's wormhole network and closing off trade with her colonized planets. After being out of contact with the younger worlds for so many years, Humanity is shocked when a huge ship appears at the edge of the solar system. Our outdated navy investigates, both curious and fearful. What they learn from the massive vessel shocks the planet.

Steel World: Undying Mercenaries, Book 1

In the twentieth century Earth sent probes, transmissions and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy.

Starship Liberator: Galactic Liberation, Book 1

The Hundred Worlds have withstood invasion by the relentless Hok for decades. The human worlds are strong, but the Hok have the resources of a thousand planets behind them, and their fleets attack in endless waves. The long war has transformed the Hundred Worlds into heavily fortified star systems. Their economies are geared for military output, and they raise specialized soldiers to save our species. Assault Captain Derek Straker is one such man among many.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

Starship Eternal: War Eternal, Book 1

Captain Mitchell "Ares" Williams is a Space Marine and the hero of the Battle for Liberty whose Shot Heard 'Round the Universe saved the planet from a nearly unstoppable war machine. He's handsome, charismatic, and the perfect poster boy to help the military drive enlistment. Pulled from the war and thrown into the spotlight, he's as efficient at charming the media and bedding beautiful celebrities as he was at shooting down enemy starfighters.

Supercarrier: The Ixan Prophecies Trilogy, Book 1

Captain Keyes is loved by the public but hated by Command. He captains the UHS Providence, an aging supercarrier and the last human ship not dependent on dark tech - technology humanity has used to rule over the galaxy since barely defeating the Ixa in the First Galactic War.

Return to Haven: Empire Rising

The revelation that the human race is not alone has sent shockwaves throughout Earth's naval powers. Suddenly all eyes have turned to Haven. Thinking he has nothing to lose, Haven's First Councilor puts into motion a plan that threatens to turn star empire against star empire. As a result, Captain James Somerville finds himself thrown into the thick of battle once again. Yet not everyone in the Admiralty is enamored with his brash style of command. Return to Haven is the third novel in the Empire Rising military sci-fi series.

A Learning Experience, Book 1

When a bunch of interstellar scavengers approach Earth intending to abduct a few dozen humans and sell them into slavery in the darkest, they make the mistake of picking on Steve Stuart and his friends, ex-military veterans all. Unprepared for humans who can actually fight, unaware of the true capabilities of their stolen starships, the scavengers rapidly lose control of the ship - and their lives.

The Lost Starship

Ten thousand years ago, a single alien super-ship survived a desperate battle. The vessel's dying crew set the AI on automatic to defend the smashed rubble of their planet. Legend has it the faithful ship continues to patrol the empty battlefield, obeying its last order throughout the lonely centuries.In the here and now, Earth needs a miracle. Out of the Beyond invade the New Men, stronger, faster and smarter than the old. Their superior warships and advanced technology destroy every fleet sent to stop them.

New Frontiers: The Expansion Wars Trilogy, Book 1

The Phage War had been a devastating conflict for the Terran Confederacy. Even with the destruction of their terrifying, implacable foe, humanity is still reeling. Political alliances are crumbling, and their mighty fleet is in tatters. There is nothing to celebrate, even after such a complete victory. They soon learn that there are other stellar neighbors - and they've been watching the conflict with great interest. One species comes with an offer of friendship and alliance, but humanity is weary and distrustful.

Constitution

The year is 2650. Seventy-five years ago, an alien fleet attacked Earth. Without warning. Without mercy. We were not prepared. Hundreds of millions perished. Dozens of cities burned. We nearly lost everything. Then the aliens abruptly left. We rebuilt. We armed ourselves. We swore: never again. But the aliens never came back. Until now. With overwhelming force the aliens have returned, striking deep into our territory, sending Earth into a panic.

Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.

Democracy's Right: Democracy's Right, Book 1

A tyranny stretching over thousands of worlds. The grand dreams of the founders are a joke. The Thousand Families, the rulers of the Empire, care nothing for anything save their own power. From the undercity of Earth to the new colonies at the Rim, discontent, anger, and rebellion seethe, but there is no hope of breaking the power of the Empire and freeing the trillions of enslaved humans and aliens.

Warship: Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 1

In the 25th century, humans have conquered space. The advent of faster-than-light travel has opened up hundreds of habitable planets for colonization, and humans have exploited the virtually limitless space and resources for hundreds of years with impunity. So complacent have they become with the overabundance that armed conflict is a thing of the past, and their machines of war are obsolete and decrepit. What would happen if they were suddenly threatened by a terrifying new enemy?

Publisher's Summary

Sometimes Captain Max Robichaux fights by the book - and sometimes he throws the book away. This makes him one of the Union Space Navy's rising stars. It's also what has kept him and his green crew alive...thus far.

When Max and his ship - the twenty-fourth-century space destroyer USS Cumberland - are boxed in by eight enemy battleships, the odds are against them at a million to one. It takes all their skill and guts just to escape...and surviving won't get easier. Sent on a covert mission behind enemy lines, Max and his crew are poised to strike a blow so hard that, if successful, it could turn the tide of the war. But if they fail, it will cost them their lives...and the lives of every human in the galaxy.

It had been a while since I listened to the first two books in this series, so honestly it was all a bit foggy. However, there isn't much to worry about catching up on, since this series is all about the space action, and you're thrown right into it. This is for military sci fi fans who just want a quick adventure, with lots of explosions and not much in the way of character development or deep thought. It seems to try to emulate some of Campbell's "Lost Fleet" success, while lacking almost all of the actual substance behind that series.

My biggest complaint, aside from the shallowness of the book and the fantastical technologies employed, is how there isn't really any sense of danger or tension in the battles, because the good guys are just so much better than the enemy that there really is no contest. Each engagement seems set up to be a hopeless situation, but the captain's genius brings them through every time, while making sheer fools out of the enemy and making them out to be pure imbeciles. If it's so easy, then it just doesn't feel as significant. Then we skip any kind of resolution and jump straight to the next mission - this really feels like a series of "episodes" rather than a novel.

It's not a terrible book, but not a great one - thus the 2 stars overall.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Joki

Helsinki

07/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Continues Smoothly From First Two Books"

With Book 3, the universe of the Man of War series has expanded and author Honsinger opts for a very definitive punctuation mark at the end (though the series continues). Those enjoying the exuberant speeches and World-buildling-through-dialogue will no doubt have fun with Brothers in Valor. For there is plenty of action (and speeches) here to keep readers engaged.

Story: What looks to be a trap - often is? Warily, the Cumberland follows strict orders from Admiral Hornmeyer to enter Krag territory and take down a feared tactician, code named 'Admiral Birch'. But is it luck or are they about to find themselves three layers deep in deception? And will Robichaux's canniness be able to pull them out of this latest fix?

As with previous books, our Star Trek meets Master and Commander dialogue between young skipper Robichaux and uptight doctor Sahin is the heart of the book. Although I'm still not convinced that the Earth would hold back half the human race (the female half) despite facing annihilation, clearly Sahin with his over-emotional outbursts and uptight nature is playing the female role to Max's gung-ho macho maleness perfectly (in a very non-sexual if perhaps not necessarily unhomoerotic way).

The dizzying amount of superfluous information about cultures and languages of earth (and even Krag now) is balanced by the amount of fun Honsinger has with the action. So while I appreciate that this isn't a story about white guys in space, I do still wish that the characters were a bit more realistic. It makes for an enjoyable read but a bit too easy to forget afterwards.

I do admit, I am continually amused to find the Star Trek references in there. From a nurse by the name of Church (ah, Nurse Chapel, we miss you), to the doctor being called Bones as a nickname, to Robichaux's over the top speeches. There were many more references in Brothers in Valor - a treat to find the Easter Eggs for Star Trek fans.

I listened to the audible narration and I'm at a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. The narrator is emotive and does a great job with what has to be the hardest lines *ever* to read convincingly. But at the same time, the bored, fatalistic inflection takes the over-the-top dialogue and can make it really seem flat. At times, a lot of the fun was sucked out by the book because of the dropping of tone at the end of each sentence.

In all, I did enjoy Brothers and Valor and look forward to the next book.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Striker

Savannah, GA

05/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Very Good Continuation... Can't Wait For Book #4"

This really is a good series. It's one of those that I just can't stop listening to. This was one was probably the best so far, but left off in a cliffhanger.

A few things have come to annoy me just a bit... Like how the Doctor is always oblivious to anything and everything that might be happening on the ship or when the ship is in battle. No matter how much he learns, he is for some reason unable to grasp the concepts of naval warfare. This is usually the mechanism that the author uses to explain to us something that we don't already know or that isn't obvious, but you would think he could come up with some way other than the Doctor being once again in the dark about something that everyone else on the ship is astonished that he doesn't know... One or two times per book would be one thing, but it happens practically every 5 pages and seems to be the only way we get new information explained to us...

Other than my minor gripes, this book is full of the action and excitement we have come to expect from this series. I listened to the entire book almost straight through. 5 Stars.

13 of 20 people found this review helpful

Zach

02/07/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Not the best of the series"

I loved the 1st two books in the series. This one felt short and rushed. I'll definitely listen to the next book when and if it comes out. This one just wasn't my favorite.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

Captain Cook, Hi

11/09/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Aubrey/Maturin in space"

This series is essentially Master and Commander in space.. Definitely fun, though the skipper is a bit of a Mary Sue. If you're ok with that, and I certainly am, it's more than worth the read.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

MICHELLE BARNES

05/09/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"excellent book"

Good story, well narrated. Enjoyed every minute. Definitely the kind of book you can read again.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

J

22/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great book."

There was one major flaw with this book...the author can't write them fast enough. The narrator brought the characters to life and helped you to forge a relationship with the characters. Enjoyed the military aspect of this book as well.

Have you listened to any of Ray Chase’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yep, he's good as always.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's an easy listen, so yes.

Any additional comments?

The Men at War series is one of those fun, light military SF series you don't have to think about very hard. I mean, the bad guys are giant rats with a god complex. So if you're looking for some deep, post-modern examination of the meaning of life, go somewhere else. If not, this is a fun diversion; good pacing, lots of giant rats with god complexes getting killed, a cliffhanger ending and your typical aggressive young captain with his scientifically inclined doctor comrade as the point of view characters. Best of all, if you're an audible member, you can get it for a really good price. The series doesn't take itself too seriously, which is perfectly fine; sit back, relax, and gobble up the brain candy.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

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